News

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Transmission (SSEN) and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) have agreed terms of a joint venture to develop a new subsea electricity superhighway project along the east coast of the UK. Elsewhere in the country, a huge solar project has been granted approval, a new partnership has been formed to produce battery grade lithium, and funding has been agreed for Scotland’s Moray West offshore wind farm.

The nuclear fusion industry attracted $1.4bn of funding in 2022, taking the total investment in the potentially transformative energy technology to $6.21bn, according to a report from the Fusion Industry Association.

Hybrid Air Vehicles has announced a pioneering five-year corporate partnership with the world's largest military airshow, The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT). As part of this agreement, Hybrid Air Vehicles plan to include its Airlander 10 in the flying display at the 2027 edition of RIAT.

Scotland is set to establish a Hydrogen Innovation Centre at the University of Glasgow to accelerate the development of hydrogen technologies. The centre will provide a platform for academic research groups and commercial enterprises from across Scotland to take hydrogen technologies from experimental proof-of-concept through to small prototype stage.

The University of Edinburgh has played host to an international event dedicated to Hyperloop – a potentially revolutionary new form of transport, which could change the way we travel.

Ceres Power’s pioneering clean energy technology has won the 2023 MacRobert Award. Honouring the UK’s top engineering innovations, the MacRobert Award was presented to Ceres in recognition of a ground-breaking fuel cell technology that promises to make a major contribution to decarbonising the world at the scale and pace required to save the planet.

A new high-frequency radar technique can provide a detailed characterisation of the flow of solids in fluidised beds, one of the leading technologies used in thermal power plants.

Malt whisky and cereal experts at Heriot-Watt University are testing barley grown with green fertilisers to make sure it’s still fit for Scotland’s national drink.

Dr Guanchen Li (JWSE) contributed to the research, led by the University of Oxford and published in Nature as a a co-author. Using advanced imaging techniques, the researchers revealed mechanisms which cause lithium metal solid-state batteries (Li-SSBs) to fail. If these can be overcome, solid-state batteries using lithium metal anodes could deliver a step-change improvement in EV battery range, safety and performance, and help advance electrically powered aviation.

Rising demand for clean energy is driving growth in the critical minerals market. However, more work is needed to ensure diversified and sustainable mineral supplies, warns the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) will help to deliver Scotland’s first energy incubator and scale-up hub (EISH) in Aberdeen’s Energy Transition Zone.

Being an engineer comes with an enormous amount of responsibility, never more so than in today’s world with our climate-change emergency and the issues arising with advances in technologies. It’s often been said that engineers shape our world and, as the engineering profession acts in the service of society, there is an obligation, in the face of these challenges, to help create the best-possible world.